National Liberation Wars

Citation:

Cristalis, Irena, and Catherine Scott. 2005. Independent Women: The Story of Women’s Activism in East Timor. London: Catholic Institute for International Relations.

Authors: Irena Cristalis , Catherine Scott

Topics: Armed Conflict, National Liberation Wars, Gender, Women, Gendered Power Relations, Gender Equality/Inequality, International Organizations, NGOs Regions: Oceania Countries: Timor-Leste

Year: 2005

Citation:

Lippert, Anne. 1992. “Sahrawi Women in the Liberation Struggle of the Sahrawi People.” Signs 17 (3): 636-51.

Author: Anne Lippert

Topics: Armed Conflict, National Liberation Wars, Gender, Women Regions: Africa, MENA, North Africa Countries: Western Sahara

Year: 1992

Citation:

Mason, Christine. 2005. “Women, Violence and Nonviolent Resistance in East Timor.” Journal of Peace Research 42 (6): 737–49.

Author: Christine Mason

Abstract:

A growing literature in peace and conflict studies assesses the relationship between women and nonviolence. Numerous national liberation fronts and academic critiques assess how women participate in nonviolent resistance from Tibet and West Papua to Palestine and Eritrea. However, many liberation struggles that include female nonviolent resistance remain undocumented, and this article aims to delve into one case study in particular. The article examines the nonviolent roles adopted by women in the East Timorese liberation struggle, a national liberation movement in which the participation of female combatants was low but nonviolent participation by women in the resistance movement overall was high. However, the consequences for such women was, and remains, shaped by the overarching patriarchal structures of both the Indonesian occupiers and East Timorese society itself. Female nonviolent resistance was met with highly violent responses from Indonesian troops, especially in the form of rape and sexual exploitation. Yet, this study also found that women acting under religious auspices faced less violent responses overall. Interviews with East Timorese women are used to reveal some of the sexual dynamics of nonviolent action and reprisal. This material is placed in the context of theoretical work on gender, violence and nonviolence.

Topics: Armed Conflict, National Liberation Wars, Gender, Women, Gendered Power Relations, Patriarchy, Military Forces & Armed Groups, Militaries, Nonviolence, Sexual Violence, Rape, Sexual Exploitation and Abuse Regions: Oceania Countries: Timor-Leste

Year: 2005

Citation:

Mookherjee, Nayanika. 2008. “Gendered Embodiments: Mapping the Body-Politic of the Raped Woman and the Nation in Bangladesh.” Feminist Review 88: 36-53.

Author: Nayanika Mookherjee

Abstract:

There has been much academic work outlining the complex links between women and the nation. Women provide legitimacy to the political projects of the nation in particular social and historical contexts. This article focuses on the gendered symbolization of the nation through the rhetoric of the 'motherland' and the manipulation of this rhetoric in the context of national struggle in Bangladesh. I show the ways in which the visual representation of this 'motherland' as fertile countryside, and its idealization primarily through rural landscapes has enabled a crystallization of essentialist gender roles for women. This article is particularly interested in how these images had to be reconciled with the subjectivities of women raped during the Bangladesh Liberation War (Muktijuddho) and the role of the aestheticizing sensibilities of Bangladesh's middle class in that process.

Topics: Armed Conflict, National Liberation Wars, Gender, Women, Gender Roles, Gender-Based Violence, Gendered Power Relations, Sexual Violence, Rape, SV against Women Regions: Asia, South Asia Countries: Bangladesh

Year: 2008

Citation:

Bernal, Victoria. 2001. “From Warriors to Wives: Contradictions of Liberation and Development in Eritrea.” Northeast African Studies 8 (3): 129–54.

Author: Victoria Bernal

Topics: Armed Conflict, National Liberation Wars, Citizenship, Combatants, Development, Gender, Women, Nationalism, Post-Conflict Regions: Africa, East Africa Countries: Eritrea

Year: 2001

Citation:

Beall, Jo. 2001. “Doing Gender from Top to Bottom? The South African Case.” 12 (2): 135–42.

Author: Jo Beall

Abstract:

By taking gender seriously, the ruling African National Congress (ANC) party in South Africa appeared to reverse the trend set by many liberation movements elsewhere: namely, women being mobilized as agents in struggles around class and race, yet denied the imperative of addressing gender subordination. Shortly after coming to power, the ANC adopted a national strategy for advancing gender equality. By doing so it demonstrated that it could rise above the limitations of its erstwhile `woman question’ position (Beall et al. 1989) and learn from the experience of other countries that had tried to institutionalize gender policies and structures. This in turn served to place South Africa at the cutting edge of experience in state-initiated gender policies and `national machineries’ for women. Nevertheless, South Africa’s National Machinery for Advancing Gender Equality merits critical scrutiny, both in terms of its intrinsic aims and objectives and in relation to its potential for making an impact, given the development policy context of contemporary South Africa. Drawing on research conducted in South Africa over a number of years--during the 1980s (Beall et al. 1987) and, more recently, since 1997 (Beall 1997, 1998), it is possible to consider what lessons are to be learned from the institutionalization of gender-sensitive policy and practice in a complex institutional environment.

Topics: Armed Conflict, National Liberation Wars, Class, Gender, Women, Gendered Power Relations, Gender Equality/Inequality, Governance, Post-Conflict Governance, Race Regions: Africa, Southern Africa Countries: South Africa

Year: 2001

Citation:

Holt, Maria. 2003. “Palestinian Women, Violence, and the Peace Process.” Development in Practice 13 (2-3): 223-38.

Author: Maria Holt

Abstract:

Much has been written about the contribution of Palestinian women to their nation's liberation struggle. They have not only survived in an atmosphere of remorseless violence, but have also made remarkable strides in terms of their rights and development as women. A question that has been less explored is the long-term impact of violence against women, whether in terms of their physical and psychological well-being or of their ability to participate in a meaningful way either in the conflict itself or in the post-conflict situation. This paper argues that, although Palestinian women are not simply victims but also agents of violence, such violence–whether random or institutionalised, perpetrated by the enemy or by their own people–places significant constraints on their ability to participate in the national liberation struggle. Consequently, they are inadequately prepared to contribute towards the peace process and, therefore, are prevented from realising their full potential in the new state.

Topics: Armed Conflict, National Liberation Wars, Gender, Women, Gender-Based Violence, Peace Processes Regions: MENA, Asia, Middle East Countries: Palestine / Occupied Palestinian Territories

Year: 2003

Citation:

Campbell, Patricia J. 2005. “Gender and Post-Conflict Civil Society: Eritrea.” International Feminist Journal of Politics 7 (3): 377–99.

Author: Patricia J. Campbell

Abstract:

Women have historically participated in revolutionary/liberation movements. A consensus among scholars working in the field suggests that once the broader aims of the movement have been achieved, women's public role and the concern for gender differentiated interests diminish in the post-conflict society. The aim of this study is to apply this hypothesis using the case study of Eritrea. Eritrea offers an opportunity to study a modern, successful revolutionary movement that relied heavily upon women's contributions both as support personnel and as front-line soldiers. Preliminary evidence suggests that Eritrea is following the pattern of many other post-conflict societies. Several questions are addressed here: Does the hypothesis which suggests women's participation is welcomed during a revolutionary struggle, but discouraged inpost-conflict society, hold true in the Eritrean case? What role did women play in Eritrean independence and what role do they currently play? Have the reforms enacted by the Eritrean People's Liberation Front (EPLF) carried forward under the People's Front for Democracy and Justice (PFDJ)? What role does women's inclusion play in creating a viable civil society? How has the generational aspect of women's military service affected society's overall perception of women?

Keywords: civil society, Eritrea, gender, human rights, post-conflict, women

Topics: Armed Conflict, National Liberation Wars, Civil Society, Combatants, Female Combatants, Gender, Women, Gender Roles, Military Forces & Armed Groups, Militaries, Post-Conflict, Post-Conflict Reconstruction Regions: Africa, East Africa Countries: Eritrea

Year: 2005

Citation:

Ducados, Henda. 2000. “An All Men’s Show? Angolan Women’s Survival in the 30-Year War.” Agenda: Empowering Women for Gender Equity 16 (43): 11–22. doi:10.1080/10130950.2000.9675806.

Author: Henda Ducados

Topics: Armed Conflict, Civil Wars, National Liberation Wars, Gender, Women, Gendered Power Relations, Governance, Post-Conflict Governance, Peacebuilding, Peace Processes, Political Participation, Post-Conflict, Post-Conflict Reconstruction, Rights, Women's Rights Regions: Africa, Southern Africa Countries: Angola

Year: 2000